Future Pet Shop

"Since the general direction is set, there’s no need to rush the detailed blueprints. You shouldn’t coop yourself up in your room every day; just work at a normal pace," Shen Yibin advised. He was also hoping Wen Yuan would spend more time with Bald Qiang and the others to get their affinity score above the passing line.

"No problem. I still have some staff under me, so I can just give them the basic work. I only need to finalize the broad strokes, so I won’t be as busy from now on." Wen Yuan, of course, was aiming for perfection. Even if Shen Yibin rushed him, he wouldn’t hastily produce a plan that left room for regret.

With that settled, Shen Yibin relaxed. He happily clutched the renderings, unable to stop himself from fantasizing about the wonderful life he’d have living there with Hah’Er and the others once it was built. ’This is going to be so much more comfortable than the shop!’

"Is Boss Shen in?" While he was daydreaming, he suddenly heard a shout from downstairs. Hah’Er also started yelping excitedly. ’What’s going on?’ Shen Yibin quickly leaned over the railing to look down.

"Shi Gaofei!" A familiar figure at the shop entrance gave Shen Yibin a pleasant surprise. Hong Mian, dressed in casual clothes, was standing at the door with Shi Gaofei. Shi Gaofei’s eyes were wide as it curiously surveyed the changes in the shop, and then... it was tackled to the ground by Hah’Er. Never one to take a loss like that, Shi Gaofei immediately started roughhousing with Hah’Er.

Even though the two of them were playing rough, both Shi Gaofei and Hah’Er were careful to control their strength, so they were in no real danger of getting hurt. However, the other animals in the shop didn’t see it that way.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Seeing its godfather pinned to the ground, Maphario immediately grew anxious. It couldn’t go help by itself, so it went to Xiaoliu for help. After finding Xiaoliu, it ran to the edge of the pool and started squeaking frantically at the Bald Qiang couple. It was planning to get everyone to attack together.

"CHIRP CHIRP!" Xiaoliu was counting on using the fruit Maphario grew to make wine. The strawberries and watermelons were almost ripe, and the other fruit saplings were growing much better than normal ones. So, upon hearing the plea for help, it immediately picked up the stick it often used to beat Shen Yibin and limped toward Shi Gaofei.

Bald Qiang and Gao Lujie exchanged a look. The two of them were actually a bit timid, but seeing that even Xiaoliu was joining in, they also climbed out of the pool and slowly followed. Of course, they didn’t dare to engage in direct melee combat. So, Bald Qiang resorted to the old trick he used on Shen Yibin. He had Gao Lujie gently toss up an apple, then he fiercely whipped his tail, smacking the apple straight toward Shi Gaofei’s forehead.

The shot was both fast and accurate. Before Xiaoliu had even gotten close, the apple had already arrived. Just as it was about to hit Shi Gaofei on the forehead, a fair, delicate hand suddenly reached out from the side. With a SMACK, it caught the apple firmly in its palm. Hong Mian wasn’t about to let her pet get hurt, so she decisively stepped in to help.

"Alright, alright, you two stop fooling around!" After helping Shi Gaofei escape disaster, Hong Mian called out to them. ’Sigh, I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen each other, but you don’t have to go this wild!’

"HNGH... HNGH..." At Hong Mian’s words, Shi Gaofei did let go of Hah’Er. But since Pingtou is known as the most grudge-holding of animals, it certainly wasn’t going to let Bald Qiang off the hook. It let out a low growl and lunged toward Bald Qiang. ’No one on the entire African continent dares to mess with me, yet you dare to throw an apple at me today? I’m going to beat the crap out of you!’

This little troublemaker really lived up to its reputation. It hadn’t even dealt with Bald Qiang yet and was already starting a conflict with someone else. After taking two steps, it saw Xiaoliu blocking its path. Its fur immediately stood on end as it let out a low growl, seemingly wanting it to be sensible and get out of the way. But Xiaoliu was there to back up Maphario, so how could it possibly back down? And so, the two of them faced off.

Pingtou had always been the ruthless, few-words type. Seeing that Xiaoliu refused to give way, there was nothing left to say. ’Time to fight!’ It let out a low growl and, with a WHOOSH, pounced at Xiaoliu. Its sharp claws habitually aimed for Xiaoliu’s Egg, intending to end its bloodline with the very first strike!

"Shi Gaofei!" Shen Yibin and Hong Mian shouted at the same time to stop it. But if Pingtou were obedient, it wouldn’t be Pingtou. Shi Gaofei remained unmoved and continued to lunge at Xiaoliu. Shen Yibin and Hong Mian were too far away and couldn’t possibly stop it in time. It looked like a tragedy was about to unfold.

"CHIRP CHIRP!" Xiaoliu was also startled. ’What kind of creature is this, using such a vicious move right from the start?’ Luckily, it wasn’t a pushover either. With a WHOOSH, it swung its stick toward Shi Gaofei’s head. It was a counter-attack; if Shi Gaofei didn’t want to get hit, it would have to dodge, and its own Egg would naturally be saved.

If it were a normal opponent, it would definitely be unwilling to get its head injured. But what kind of creature was Pingtou? It didn’t care if it got hurt. As long as the opponent’s injuries were worse than its own, that was a victory! So, without even a glance at the stick about to smash into its head, Shi Gaofei continued to pounce toward Xiaoliu’s Egg.

’Holy crap, does it have to be this vicious?!’ Xiaoliu had always been the king of Emei Mountain; when had it ever encountered the ferocity of an African top dog? It was caught completely off guard by the first move and had no choice but to change its attack and quickly dodge to the side. Luckily, its dodge was fast enough. Its Egg was saved, but its leg was still nicked by Shi Gaofei’s sharp claws, leaving a small cut.

’So it’s true, even the greatest skill is no match for a suicidal charge.’ Logically speaking, Xiaoliu’s counter was far more sophisticated than Shi Gaofei’s attack, but the other guy managed to injure Xiaoliu purely through its reckless, do-or-die attitude.

"CHIRP CHIRP! CHIRP CHIRP!" Now Xiaoliu was furious. It had never even been injured when fighting Clouded Leopards on Emei Mountain, yet it had actually been bested by this inconspicuous little guy? It wasn’t about to take this loss lying down. Disregarding Shen Yibin’s shouts, it swung its stick and threw itself into a chaotic battle with Shi Gaofei.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Maphario climbed to a high spot to cheer for Xiaoliu. Meanwhile, Bald Qiang continued to coordinate with Gao Lujie, using his tail to smack fruits one by one toward Shi Gaofei, diligently acting as Xiaoliu’s support.

Hong Mian wore a helpless expression. She had finally gotten a day off and brought Shi Gaofei back to have some fun, but she never expected something like this to happen the moment they walked into the shop.

’Um, asking for a friend: which hero is stronger, the Sword Saint or the Berserker? Waiting online, it’s urgent!’ As for Shen Yibin, he was also completely dumbfounded, with absolutely no idea what to do.